Evelyn Emma
Dr. Williamson
ENGL 864
22 June 2014
Political Poetry
Political poetry can be about many kinds of things. Political poetry can be a patriotic poem like “America for Me” by Henry Van Dyke, or a war poem like “Dulce et decorum est.” Several selections of Felicia Hemans’s political poetry have similar themes like national independence or freedom from oppression, but Christina Rossetti’s political poetry is a bit more veiled and emphasizes the personal duty of an individual as opposed to the conscious national themes that Hemans discusses.
“The Switzer’s Wife” is a very political poem. It glorifies the desire for freedom from an oppressor that would unjustly claim others’ wealth; it is a pre-emptive strike against an oppressor who would impoverish a citizen by taking what is the just reward of labor—it is an economic oppression (and oppression is rarely singular in its aim) that is feared by the Switzer. Hemans’s poem locates the inspiration for this just revolt within the sphere of the domestic and sets the female figure of wife and mother as heroic in the very female assigned roles the female inhabits. For Hemans, there is no need to take on the ‘masculine’ in order to be heroic. There is heroism in wise counsel, in inspiration, in the daily, ‘female’ work of the home. The idea is that what happens on the battlefield in a revolution is the end of a process that begins at home, not the beginning of one. Because of this Switzer’s wife, independence was eventually gained by the Swiss.
The “Queen of Prussia’s Tomb” is a similar poem to the “Switzer’s Wife” in that national concerns are embodied in the female. The Queen of Prussia holds a higher, more visible status than the ordinary Switzer’s wife, but in this poem, it is still a female endurance and gravitas that spurs on a country during difficult times.
A different kind of political poem is represented by “Edith, a Tale of the Woods.” In this poem, the effect of political war on a female is the subject. In this poem, the struggle for national independence is already in process; the point of inspiration is past and the struggle is engaged. This poem alludes to the practice of capturing colonial women and children by Native Americans in battles and raids. If the colonists were not killed in battle and scalped (the British actually paid by the scalp), they were taken and either kept within the Native American community (sometimes as slaves, sometimes as members of the family/community as in this poem), or they were sold as slaves to the British sympathizers, or even sometimes redeemed by their families with a ransom. This poem outlines one of the better outcomes of such a situation. The ultimate ‘captors’ are a tender, older couple who view Edith as a replacement for their own daughter, and she views them as replacement for her dead family. Edith dies while still living with this new family. What Hemans seems to admire about Edith is her “task of meek endurance” (42). Edith does not seek revenge, is not bitter, or angry. She instead creates a sweet bond with her new parents, showing that reconciliation both to a traumatic event as well as to persons within a group that may be responsible is possible and desirable. Therefore, in this poem, though it remains about a specific historical-political event, it is much more about what a personal response within that event could look like.
In this manner, “Edith” can be a bridge to Rossetti’s political poems, which do not seem to refer to particular historical events, but to more generalized social situations where personal conduct becomes the focus. For example, “Cousin Kate” is about a woman who is promised position, wealth, and love in exchange for an intimate relationship. The woman is then cast aside by the “lord” who chooses her cousin as his wife. The unnamed woman chastises her cousin for marrying this man, betraying her family and a female bond. In this chronic, long lasting situation (as opposed to a revolt or a war, which would have an end), a seemingly perpetual unjust patriarchal authority oppresses a citizen, in this case, a woman. The poem holds an accusatory finger at those who participate in this system. Presumably, Cousin Kate could have refused the lord, and while another woman would have taken her place, Cousin Kate would be, in this refusal, protesting and calling attention to the unnamed woman’s plight, perhaps even gaining for her some justice. Cousin Kate does not do this and is therefore complicit in the lord’s actions. The poem is a call for solidarity and resistance to injustice, not selfish collusion with it.
In a different way, “A Portrait” also calls to attention individual action in an individual situation. The poem seems to be about a nun who has given her life in service “to the poor and stricken”. Again, there is no great historical event happening in the poem, but what is discussed is a single woman’s life and the impact it has in that particular situation. The country does not mourn her; she is not a national figure like the Queen of Prussia or even the Switzer’s wife. However, her individual actions in her individual sphere are viewed as important and worthwhile. Very similarly, “Despised and Rejected” also emphasizes the responsibility of the ordinary individual to do her/his part. Though the poem is certainly describing what a believer’s response should be to Christ, it is also calling to memory the idea that if one performs an act of service to another human who is suffering, it is as if that deed was performed for Christ himself, very much pointing out the duty one has toward fellow men and women. These poems emphasize social action in everyday life; the political has become personal.
Dr. Williamson
ENGL 864
22 June 2014
Political Poetry
Political poetry can be about many kinds of things. Political poetry can be a patriotic poem like “America for Me” by Henry Van Dyke, or a war poem like “Dulce et decorum est.” Several selections of Felicia Hemans’s political poetry have similar themes like national independence or freedom from oppression, but Christina Rossetti’s political poetry is a bit more veiled and emphasizes the personal duty of an individual as opposed to the conscious national themes that Hemans discusses.
“The Switzer’s Wife” is a very political poem. It glorifies the desire for freedom from an oppressor that would unjustly claim others’ wealth; it is a pre-emptive strike against an oppressor who would impoverish a citizen by taking what is the just reward of labor—it is an economic oppression (and oppression is rarely singular in its aim) that is feared by the Switzer. Hemans’s poem locates the inspiration for this just revolt within the sphere of the domestic and sets the female figure of wife and mother as heroic in the very female assigned roles the female inhabits. For Hemans, there is no need to take on the ‘masculine’ in order to be heroic. There is heroism in wise counsel, in inspiration, in the daily, ‘female’ work of the home. The idea is that what happens on the battlefield in a revolution is the end of a process that begins at home, not the beginning of one. Because of this Switzer’s wife, independence was eventually gained by the Swiss.
The “Queen of Prussia’s Tomb” is a similar poem to the “Switzer’s Wife” in that national concerns are embodied in the female. The Queen of Prussia holds a higher, more visible status than the ordinary Switzer’s wife, but in this poem, it is still a female endurance and gravitas that spurs on a country during difficult times.
A different kind of political poem is represented by “Edith, a Tale of the Woods.” In this poem, the effect of political war on a female is the subject. In this poem, the struggle for national independence is already in process; the point of inspiration is past and the struggle is engaged. This poem alludes to the practice of capturing colonial women and children by Native Americans in battles and raids. If the colonists were not killed in battle and scalped (the British actually paid by the scalp), they were taken and either kept within the Native American community (sometimes as slaves, sometimes as members of the family/community as in this poem), or they were sold as slaves to the British sympathizers, or even sometimes redeemed by their families with a ransom. This poem outlines one of the better outcomes of such a situation. The ultimate ‘captors’ are a tender, older couple who view Edith as a replacement for their own daughter, and she views them as replacement for her dead family. Edith dies while still living with this new family. What Hemans seems to admire about Edith is her “task of meek endurance” (42). Edith does not seek revenge, is not bitter, or angry. She instead creates a sweet bond with her new parents, showing that reconciliation both to a traumatic event as well as to persons within a group that may be responsible is possible and desirable. Therefore, in this poem, though it remains about a specific historical-political event, it is much more about what a personal response within that event could look like.
In this manner, “Edith” can be a bridge to Rossetti’s political poems, which do not seem to refer to particular historical events, but to more generalized social situations where personal conduct becomes the focus. For example, “Cousin Kate” is about a woman who is promised position, wealth, and love in exchange for an intimate relationship. The woman is then cast aside by the “lord” who chooses her cousin as his wife. The unnamed woman chastises her cousin for marrying this man, betraying her family and a female bond. In this chronic, long lasting situation (as opposed to a revolt or a war, which would have an end), a seemingly perpetual unjust patriarchal authority oppresses a citizen, in this case, a woman. The poem holds an accusatory finger at those who participate in this system. Presumably, Cousin Kate could have refused the lord, and while another woman would have taken her place, Cousin Kate would be, in this refusal, protesting and calling attention to the unnamed woman’s plight, perhaps even gaining for her some justice. Cousin Kate does not do this and is therefore complicit in the lord’s actions. The poem is a call for solidarity and resistance to injustice, not selfish collusion with it.
In a different way, “A Portrait” also calls to attention individual action in an individual situation. The poem seems to be about a nun who has given her life in service “to the poor and stricken”. Again, there is no great historical event happening in the poem, but what is discussed is a single woman’s life and the impact it has in that particular situation. The country does not mourn her; she is not a national figure like the Queen of Prussia or even the Switzer’s wife. However, her individual actions in her individual sphere are viewed as important and worthwhile. Very similarly, “Despised and Rejected” also emphasizes the responsibility of the ordinary individual to do her/his part. Though the poem is certainly describing what a believer’s response should be to Christ, it is also calling to memory the idea that if one performs an act of service to another human who is suffering, it is as if that deed was performed for Christ himself, very much pointing out the duty one has toward fellow men and women. These poems emphasize social action in everyday life; the political has become personal.